The Civil War and the Limits of Destruction

Mark E. Neely, Jr.

    An intriguing new book...Neely argues forcefully and thoughtfully for a more realistic, less gory understanding of the great war...Whatever you think of Neely's arguments, you cannot reject them as poorly conceived or loosely defended. He is a thoughtful expert who delivers a book that you cannot read without transforming your view of the Civil War and its place in American history.
       --Cameron McWhirter, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

    Impressive and lively.
       --David Waldstreicher, Boston Globe

    A seminal work on a big issue, The Civil War and the Limits of Destruction should stir up much productive discussion.
       --John Cimprich, Civil War Book Review

    Using comparisons to other wars in other nations in the 19th and 20th centuries, Neely finds that the U.S. Civil War was not nearly as bloody as conventional wisdom (and much scholarly wisdom) has held.
       --R. G. Lowe, Choice

    In a perceptive and rigorously argued call to resist the temptation to describe the Civil War as an unusually destructive or brutal war, Mark Neely finds new ways to examine old questions and to challenge prevailing interpretations. This is another first-rate work from one of the best and most imaginative scholars working in the field of Civil War history.
       --Gary W. Gallagher, author of The Confederate War

    Neely tackles a fascinating and important topic: were terror and brutality a key part of the Civil War? He makes a compelling case that the combat was more controlled than we now often accept. His account is original­-in some cases clearly pathbreaking­-and his tone passionate and gripping. This is a major contribution that will capture a wide readership.
       --Ari Kelman, author of A River and Its City

  • Cover: The Civil War and the Limits of Destruction

Mark E. Neely, Jr., is McCabe-Greer Professor of the History of the Civil War Era, Pennsylvania State University, and the author of a number of books, including his Pulitzer prize-winning The Fate of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties.